法苑珠林 64.48

64.48

Furthermore, the *Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra* says: In the past, there were two brothers, princes, who were banished from their country. Arriving on a vast and desolate road, their provisions were completely exhausted. The younger brother killed his own wife and shared her flesh with his elder brother and sister-in-law. The sister-in-law ate it, but the elder brother, upon receiving this meat, concealed it and dared not eat it. He cut the flesh of his own legs for him and his wife to eat together. When the younger brother’s wife’s flesh was finished, he wanted to kill his sister-in-law. The elder brother said, ‘Do not kill her,’ and gave the meat he had hidden earlier back to the younger brother to eat. After crossing the vast and desolate road, they arrived at an abode of rṣis, and gathered flowers and fruits to sustain themselves. Later, the younger brother fell ill and died, leaving only the elder brother. At that time, the prince saw a man whose hands and feet had been amputated. Conception of compassion arose in his heart; he gathered flowers and fruits to keep that amputated man alive. The prince, by nature, had few sensual desires. When he went to gather flowers and fruits, his wife remained behind and engaged in illicit relations with the amputated man. Due to this secret affair, she deeply resented her husband. One day, she followed her husband to gather flowers, reached the bank of a river, and said to her husband, ‘Fetch the flowers and fruits at the top of the tree.’ The husband said to the wife, ‘Below is a deep river; I might fall into it.’ The wife said, ‘Tie a rope around your waist, and I will pull the rope.’ When he approached close to the edge of the bank, the wife pushed her husband, causing him to fall into the river. By the power of his benevolence, he drifted along with the water without drowning to death. Downstream on the river, the king of that country had passed away. The physiognomists of that country were searching throughout the kingdom for who should become king. From afar, they saw a yellow cloud-canopy over the water. After divining it, the physiognomists said, ‘Beneath the yellow cloud-canopy there must be an extraordinary person.’ They sent men into the water to welcome him, and enthroned him as king. The king’s former wife, carrying that amputated man on her back, wandered around begging until she reached the prince’s kingdom. The people of the kingdom all praised her, saying that there was a virtuous wife who carried an amputated husband and served him with respect and filial devotion. This was eventually reported to the king. Having heard this, the king immediately sent someone to summon them before the palace. The king asked the woman, ‘Is this amputated person truly your husband?’ She replied, ‘He truly is.’ The king then said to her, ‘Do you recognize me?’ She answered, ‘I do not recognize you.’ The king said, ‘Do you recognize so-and-so?’ Looking closely at the king, she was then filled with shame. The king, still with a mind of compassion, sent people to support and sustain them. The Buddha said, ‘If you wish to know who that king was, it was myself. The woman at that time was the Brahmin girl Ciñcā who strapped a wooden bowl to slander me. The person whose hands and feet were amputated was none other than Devadatta (thus one knows that good and evil are visibly verified by evidence).’